Hopkinton 18, Ashland 4: Hillers get off to a superb start in the coaching debut of ex-Hiller Katelyn Barry

By Jared Keene/Daily News Correspondent

Tuesday

Apr 3, 2018 at 8:32 PMApr 3, 2018 at 11:05 PM

The Hopkinton girls lacrosse team earns a dominant 18-4 win over Ashland in the debut of head coach Katelyn Barry.

ASHLAND — It's quite fitting that Katelyn Barry is the new head coach of the Hopkinton girls lacrosse team.

Barry, who previously coached at Dover-Sherborn, grew up in Hopkinton and played for the Hillers under former coach Jodi Dolan, who stepped down following last season after 17 years at the helm. Barry also spent time coaching the Mass. Mavericks club team alongside Dolan, and she currently works in Hopkinton as a kindergarten teacher.

When Dolan decided to step away after the 2017 campaign, Barry, who graduated from Hopkinton in 2003, went for the position and was thrilled to be hired by her alma mater.

“I felt honored to have been hired as Hopkinton's girls lacrosse coach,” she said. “It's big shoes to fill following Jodi. Her lacrosse IQ is off the charts and she's coached so many student-athletes, so I felt honored that they picked me to have a large role in these girls’ lives. I just feel so happy to be back here and I think there's so much potential in the program going forward.”

In less than ideal conditions, Barry's first season guiding the Hillers got off to a roaring start. A complete team effort led by the trio of senior Maggie Dolan and juniors Lydia Rudden and Natalie Calkins resulted in a dominant 18-4 Tri-Valley League victory over Ashland on Tuesday afternoon.

“This was a good start to the season and a good first game,” Barry said. “We have a lot of things to improve on, but this was only the first game and I think we only go up from here. We're working on making everyone feel like an equitable part of the team because that's what it's all about. It's not about individuals, it's about playing as a team. We do have some really talented individuals and some great leaders on the team and I'll be looking for them to really step up and make big plays when we need them this season.

“I have a lot of talent, which is great. The girls were able to get it going early and keep momentum throughout the whole game, which worked in our favor.”

Offensively, Dolan, Rudden, and Calkins starred for the Hillers, who had six different goal-scorers. Dolan finished with six goals and two assists, with Rudden — a Stonehill commit — and Calkins each contributing four goals and three assists.

Using a relatively free-flowing offense with lots of ball and off-the-ball movement, Hopkinton was able to space the Clockers out around the perimeter to create room to execute. Behind three goals from Dolan, the Hillers were able to build a 5-0 lead 5:47 into the game and really never looked back from there; they took a 10-2 lead into the half.

“I was really proud of the team today, especially with the way we came out,” Dolan, who will be playing at Campbell University, said. “We've only had really one full week of practice and we have a lot of new additions to the team.”

Dolan, who will be playing the center position at the next level, was also able to give her team an enormous amount of possession with her ability on the draw. Dolan won 19 of 24 draws — mostly to herself — and was able to move the ball upfield quickly to ignite her team's offense.

“I'm going to be doing draws in college, so that's a big thing I've been working on in the offseason,” she said. “I know that to win the game you kind of have to win the draw because that's how every single play starts after a goal. Between club and working with other girls, I've just spent lots of time practicing them and trying to get better.”

Outside of the four goals Ashland scored, the Clockers weren't really able to get the ball out of their defensive zone much.

The key to that was Hopkinton's aggressive man-to-man ride, which gave Ashland fits in trying to clear the ball and led to some easy goals in transition.

“That's pretty much all we've been working on,” Barry said with a laugh. “I like to start every season — the first two weeks especially — working on defense, the ride, and transition. I think a lot of that paid off today. We still have a lot of work to do, but again, this is only game one.”

For a young Ashland team with just five seniors, much can be learned from a game like this, including the mental side of being able to put it behind them and move on.

“After the game, I told the girls to come ready to work in practice tomorrow, get ready for the next game, and put this one behind us,” Clockers coach Jessica Spencer said. “I was much more pleased with our effort in the second half.”